


Illegal Advantage

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Snow, Snowball Fight, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9344774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: A snowball fight, and Alex and John are on opposite teams. Yeah. Like that's gonna happen.





	

The impact against the back of his head didn’t hurt, per se, but the cold exploded into his hair and down the back of his neck and Alex yelped in surprise. He spun to face his assailant, eyebrows drawing together in consternation. “Laurens! You traitor!”

John’s laughter was quick in coming, eyes bright and cheeks red from cold. His hair was escaping his ponytail and the beanie, spiraling into the grinning face as he bent to scoop more snow into his hands.

“John. John, don’t you _dare_ –” But he was already daring; Alex had to duck out of the way of another incoming snowball. “John!”

“James gave me answers to our assignment if I joined their team.”

“You sold me out for a couple homework questions?” Alex retorted. “John! I would have–”

“You wouldn’t have, you were busy on your mock debate.”

Shit. Had John been trying to get him to help him? He had been busy trying to sort the finer points of his debate, he and Burr were going up against Thomas and he was determined to smash him.

“Don’t worry, Alex, I didn’t _really_ ask.” John interrupted his train of thought. “I didn’t want to bother you. Don’t panic, or anything. It just means that I–”

The snowball came out of nowhere, slamming into John’s shoulder. He coughed as the snow exploded into thousands of tiny flakes, and a voice called “Run, Alex!”

_“Laf!”_

“You’re on their side now! All’s fair in love and war, Laurens!”

Now it was Alex’s turn to laugh, to turn and flee through the snowy yard.

Their snowball fight had been planned meticulously– mostly by him– and here they finally were. He had _not_ expected John, of all people! to switch sides at the very last minute. That took their team down to him, Laf, and Herc against Aaron, Thomas, James and John. Unfair advantage! It had been four on three, swayed in their favour, due to taking up a bet and winning it the other day! Alex hadn’t gone skinny dipping for no reason! It had been _cold_! Damn, all for nothing!

“No, leave him!” he heard John say. “He’s mine!”

“That’s right!” Alex yelled over his shoulder.

“Keep your gross domestic shit to yourself,” Herc called, and Alex didn’t turn to look for him. He ducked around a tree instead, using the momentum to propel himself forward and dive behind the fountain.

His fingers were numb and his gloves soaked through, but he still plunged them into the snow and started forming up his ammunition rounds. He was not planning on losing today. He’d sit out here all night if he had to.

(Except John probably wouldn’t let him, if he tried. Or he’d just have Herc throw him over his shoulder and carry him back to his dorm. He’d had it done to him once. He’d been drunk. What a night that had been.)

“You’re not going to beat me,” John said. Alex jerked his head up; his compatriot turned traitor was on the other side of the fountain. “‘though I still don’t know what constitutes a win in this game.”

His hands faltered. “I _told_ you–”

“No offense, Alex, but it was late and you’d been talking about it for ages.”

“Wait, you weren’t _listening_?”

At least he had the heart to look a little bit guilty. “We were, it was just– I don’t know, late, Alex, and you have the tendency to–”

The grin he had been withholding sprung forward the same time he did; his projectile hit John straight in the chest. “HA! Got you!”

“You–” John’s eyes were wide. “You were just playing me? _Alex_!”

“I knew none of you were listening,” he said, scooping up another snowball. “I’m not _stupid_. But if you thought I was mad…”

John ducked out of the way this time. “That’s horrible!”

“As horrible as betraying your boyfriend?” Alex asked sweetly.

“That’s–”

Third snowball straight to the exposed skin of John’s neck and it caused a shriek that made Alex start running even as tired lungs were gasping for air in the cold. “You should have worn a scarf!”

He expected a rebuttal. He didn’t get one. He glanced over his shoulder to look for John. He was gone. Alex slowed to a quick walk, and then a standstill. This… was not good.

Just as he’d thought it, John lunged at him. This time was Alex’s turn to yelp, while throwing his arms out almost instinctively to try and catch him. “John–”

“I’ve got you now–”

“Ohmigod– ow, elbow!”

“Don’t ‘ow’ me. Eat this!”

“Get that snow out of my– mffph!” He spluttered, bracing his hands on John’s chest to push him back. “John!”

“I’m really tempted to put it down your pants.” He sat back to sit on his legs, and crossed his arms. He was pleasantly flushed, and his hair was even more flyaway than before.

Alex licked his lips and immediately regretted it. Chapped lips were the bane of winter. That and the threat of snow in his pants. “What are you, five?”

A quirked eyebrow, and “You’re older than me. Remind me who planned this fight?”

Alex beamed. “Me. I think it was me.” He mockingly raised a hand.

“Exactly. So don’t you–”

He reached up for John’s shoulder and _shoved_ , swinging his weight over to pin him into the snow.

_“Alexander!”_

“Oooh, full name. You know I like it when you say that,” Alex teased, and leaned down to kiss him. He felt, rather than heard, John sigh, and then he kissed him back. Just as soft and slow as Alex had leaned in to kiss him, and despite his lungs still screaming for reprieve from the cold, winter air, he felt that surge of stupid, cliché of warmth.

Sometimes John really made him feel like a complete idiot, but that was okay. That was the only kind of stupid he was willing to be. Love-stupid. Stupid in love.

John looped his arms around the small of his back, pulling him down flush against his body. Alex went with a laugh and a huff, and John mumbled “If you’re going to have me pinned in the snow, the least you can do is cuddle me”.

Alex wiggled a bit to get comfortable, ignored the cold wet seeping into his knees. “Fair enough,” he murmured, nuzzling against his nose. “Your hair is all over the place, J.” He swept a piece of it out of the way, and curled it absently around that finger.

“So sorry, _Ham_.”

“Wow, and here I was just being affectionate!” He tweaked that wisp of hair.

John chuckled. “You’re the one who picked Ham as your nickname.”

“I was in a rush to write out all of it!”

“Oh my God, he’s consorting with the enemy.”

Alex twisted around to look towards the voice, flashing a triumphant grin at Herc. “I’m just neutralizing the enemy. See? He’s neutralized.” He sat up slightly, squeezing his knees around John’s hips.

“This is why they can’t be on opposite teams,” Aaron said, striding into view. His hands were in his pockets and there was snow on his lapels. “They literally always end up in each other’s laps.”

“That was one time,” John protested, shoving at Alex’s shoulder. “Get off.”

Alex obliged, holding down a hand to help him to his feet.

“We’re heading in,” Lafayette said. “Thomas took a hit to the face and took off, James went after him. And I can’t feel my hands.”

“Alright.” Alex clung onto John’s hand when he tried to pull away and smiled when his companion relented and stepped closer. “Tell Jefferson he’d better be ready for our debate Wednesday.”

“Will do.”

“Text ya later, Ham.”

“See you in class, Alex,” Aaron added, waving a hand before trudging back for his dorm.

“You be ready, too!”

He raised the same hand in acknowledgment and didn’t look back.

Alex bounced on the balls of his feet and turned back to John. “You wanna go to my dorm? Or get coffee or something?”

“It’s freezing, let’s just go back.”

“Sure!” Alex slung an arm around him, pulling him in even closer. “I’ll keep you warm on the way there!”

John laughed, a quiet exhale that turned to cloud that was meant only for the both of them. “Personal heater, huh? … Is Charles gonna be there?”

“Uhhh, probably. But we split up the dorm, turned our common room into a second bedroom, now we only share the bath. Which is bad enough, he doesn’t pick anything up. He’s so lazy, he doesn’t do anything,” he muttered. Best to not think about Charles Lee. He got too worked up over it. He was just happy for a single now, theoretically speaking.

John had just leaned his head against Alex’s shoulder, but turned it to look up at him.  “Wait, when did this happen?”

“Um, last week. Two weeks? Didn’t I tell you?” John shook his head. “Oh, sorry, I don’t know, I got him moved over and I finally had some room to work, I guess it just slipped my mind.”

John hummed. “I’m jealous. Reynolds has girlfriend problems, he’s been surly.”

“Oh?”

“Thinks Maria might be having an affair. Or that she’s eyeing someone, I don’t know. I try to tune out when he’s in a mood.”

“Oh. Wait, Maria who?”

“Lewis.”

“Oh. Don’t know, sounds familiar, though.” Alex frowned, then shook his head. “Maybe I met her once.”

“She writes for the newspaper?”

“ _Oh_. That’s right. She messaged me a while back to ask for some information about this theft near our hall. Right. She tags me in things sometimes, that’s right.”

John shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’d blame her. James seems like he’d be a son of a bitch.”

“Too bad you can’t come live with me, huh?” Alex pressed his fingers into his waist.

“Yeah.” John rolled his eyes. “Too bad.”

“What, you don’t want to live with me?”

“Maybe when you’re not studying all the time.”

Now it was his turn to shrug. “Good point. After we graduate? And we’re lawyers? Rich and famous and everyone knows our names?”

“Sounds good, Ham.”

It did. He grumbled a laugh and tugged on Lauren’s beanie, ceasing when his hands were swatted to tuck him back into his side. John went willingly again, melting against him, turning his face into Alex’s coat to warm his nose.

Rich and famous and everyone knowing their names would happen. One day. Right now, Alex would settle for being in college, and being here with _John_ nonetheless, and the threat of snow down his pants during a wrestling match in the middle of New York’s winter. It sounded good. It _was_ good.

**Author's Note:**

> I was just in the mood for Lams alright :3
> 
> I do not own _Hamilton_. Thanks for reading!


End file.
